Captive
by MountainSounds
Summary: What if the surviving people from Terminus got Daryl and Carol before they drove away after the car with the white cross.


Before Daryl got a chance to close the car's door and push the gas pedal, hands were all over them. The dark figures yanked them out of the vehicle and before they could fight back they knocked them out with their guns. The two men shared a smirk which couldn't be seen but they both felt proud of themselves, they did good, they had the archer and the bitch who killed their leader's mother and their whole group, maybe they'll get extra rations in the morning. Greg and Mike tied the legs and the arms of their prey before taking their weapons, making sure they won't surprise them as they did at Terminus, then they started dragging them through the woods towards their makeshift camp for the night.

It didn't take long for Daryl to open his eyes and regain his consciousness but that didn't really help his situation as it was still pitch dark in the woods, he tried to mumble something and then he felt the cloth between his teeth, he tried to make sense of what happened but his head was still thumping from the strike he suffered and the sounds of the forest were muted by the ringing in his ear. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, but he only saw the stars peeking through the treetops. The pain in his head was slowly replaced by the pain in his ankles and his back, he felt the ropes around his legs and even through the fabric of his pants it caused his skin to burn. Branches, stones scratched his back and sometimes his body made contact with tree or a bigger rock, then he bumped into something soft. He turned his head and felt Carol's warm breaths, he couldn't tell if she was still passed out or if she was fully aware of what was happening to them and it killed him. He knew that putting up a fight would be useless, they had to wait for the right time to get out of this, because they will, they will get out this, he was sure of that.

A few minutes felt like hours but eventually he noticed a small flickering light near the edge of the forest. Their captors started snickering as they got closer, he couldn't really make out what they were talking about but he caught the words "fresh meat" and "revenge" and then he was sure they were the surviving cannibals of Terminus. Rick was right, they should have gone back and finish what they started, they should have killed them all when they had the chance. When they reached the clearing the campfire lit the two men's faces and Daryl recognized them immediately, they where there when the group first entered Terminus, but he couldn't recall their names. He glanced over to Carol and relief washed over him when she locked eyes with him. Usually he could read her like an open book, but now he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Was she afraid? Probably. He was afraid, too, not really because of himself, but because of her. These people, whom he didn't want to call people, were capable of literally anything. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the warmth of the fire hit him.

"Would you look at that? Queen Bitch and The Archer themselves," Gareth said in a sniffy tone but his face was completely emotionless. The other people around the campfire got up and shoved them against the wall of the building which looked like it was some kind of school. "I didn't think I would see you this soon, I guess you missed me too much. Good thing you ran into Greg and Mike here." He tore the rag out of their mouths.

Daryl wanted to say something, give him a piece of his mind but when he got the chance no words came out except for a muffled "Fuck you."

"You know, it didn't need to go this way, you could have joined us, you had a choice, unlike us. But I already explained this to your good friend, Bob," He pointed to the man who was lying on his back, seemingly unconscious. Daryl and Carol both noticed that his left leg was missing, as their eyes wandered to the fire they realized why and also the others around them where chewing loudly on _something_. Carol thought that nothing in this world would make her stomach turn anymore but now she had the urge to throw up. "But you ruined it all, you killed my people, you killed my brother, you killed my mother, and for that… I'm going to kill you." He crouched down before them and started sharpening his knife. "But you see, it's not going to be fast, no, we're going to take our time with you guys, we need to find a new place because as you can see, this one's already claimed," Daryl flinched at the last word. Gareth gestured towards the herd of walkers trapped inside the building. "We need energy to do that, also I bet that church if yours is nice, maybe we're going to check it out soon."

"I'll kill you." Gareth chuckled at Daryl's threat but when he looked into his eyes he had to avert his gaze which was fixed on him with alerting seriousness.

"I'd like to start with you, I'd like you to feel what my mother felt when you shot her then left her to be devoured and eaten by them… but we can't have that luxury, or at least, part of that luxury. I can't wait to try you." His last words were almost inaudible, he leaned in close to Carol, held her chin and tilted her from left to right to examine her. Gareth didn't have a chance before to take a look at his mother's killer, he wanted to know, he wanted to memorize and never forget the person who deprived him of everything. He wasn't surprised that there was no reaction coming from her part but it slightly bothered him. Gareth wanted to see them cry and beg for mercy or anything that would indicate that they were afraid of him and that he was in charge and they didn't like it, he wanted to feel the power again.

"They'll find you, Rick will find you." Carol whispered as he let go of her.

"Shut up!" Gareth yelled at her and picked up a stray brick from the ground after tying up their mouths again, he was ready to smash her head with it but instead he threw it into the window behind them. Glass shattered around them and the sound of walkers snarling inside got louder. They reached out their rotten hands and were trying to get a hold Daryl and Carol who both ducked lower under the windowsill.

"Gareth what the fuck?" One of his people yelled at him. "Now we can't stay here, they'll be out of there in no time."

"It'll be fine for tonight, you can keep watch if you're so worried about them, and tomorrow we'll be visiting the Lord's house," he replied and picked up his leftover meat from beside the campfire. "Where are my manners? I haven't even offered a bite to our new friends." Gareth pushed the piece of Bob's leg close to their faces but they both grumbled and turned away in disgust.

Theresa, the only woman who survived Terminus, kept watch for the rest of the night as Gareth had ordered her. She constantly turned around to keep an eye on both the forest and the walkers in the school, and also their captives. Every time she faced the woods Daryl would wince silently but Carol had no idea what he was doing. He noticed her staring and signaled towards his back with his eyes. A shard of glass glinted in his hands, covered in his blood but still moving furiously against the rope around his wrists. It took just a few seconds before the rope started give in and as his hands moved more freely with each cut it hit the ground before the woman keeping watch turned towards them once more. Daryl kept his hands in place behind his back until her eyes were fixed on the darkness again. Then he got up as silently as he could and grabbed his crossbow from beside the campfire, he didn't load it, that would've made too much noise. Taking a few arrows, he sneaked up behind the woman, covered her mouth with his hands and stabbed an arrow through her temple, only a small puff of air left through her nose and her soul left her body with it. Daryl went around their camp and approached the rest of the Termites lying around the fire. He didn't hesitate, he didn't save Gareth for last, he went one-by-one as they lied next to each other, the arrows entering their skulls made cracking noises but the constant gnawing of walkers and the crackle of the fire covered his actions. They were all dead within seconds.


End file.
